Some financial professionals may feel they are not experts in the ways of content marketing. But it is important to remember that you have something valuable to offer your clients and prospects, which can be communicated through various channels.
Content marketing for financial advisers will help position yourself as a trustworthy expert with credible advice for those who might need any assistance with their finances.
Financial advisers are increasingly accepting content marketing and using it to their advantage. In the financial sector, the main objectives are usually to build brand awareness, credibility, trust and educate the audience.
Thought leadership should not merely be seen as a “nice-to-have”. Prospects are actively looking for financial information and expect to find expert and reactive knowledge on your site. You won’t be heard if you don’t have a voice in the industry.
Our clients face one of the biggest challenges: the constant need to produce relevant and engaging content for their articles and websites.
They know that they have to constantly update the information to stay compliant or keep up with changing technology. But it’s not always easy to come up with new ideas when you’re already busy running your firm!
If you would like help developing a financial content marketing plan, schedule a free consultation with us here.
Perseverance and patience are key to success
Content marketing requires focus and time. Many people will not jump on board and invest immediately after reading one of your articles. Although we’ve seen it happen!
Great content can boost interest in your brand and financial expertise. If someone enjoys your content, they will continue to interact, creating a positive impression and strengthening your message and services to potential clients.
Content does not have to be long and dry or sound like something from an investment book. It doesn’t even need to be long-form text. Some content can be short and sweet, and infographics can be included. Although some topics may require a lengthy, personality-filled piece that engages the reader.
There are many content types that you can choose from to communicate with your audiences. We see great results from virtual events, webinars, online courses, research reports and short articles or blog posts. You could share helpful advice and thought leadership on social media, through retargeting campaigns, or email sequences, to name a few.
It is important to reach your audience wherever and whenever they are most active. To reach your audience, it is important to find out where they are most active and be there with them.
Furthermore, mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets account for more than two-thirds of web traffic. This means firms should create mobile optimised websites and other digital assets if they want their content seen by clients who may not be sitting in front of a computer screen right now, but will eventually get back online again through another device like phone or tablet just moments later.
Client success stories build trust
Testimonials and reviews are often a missed opportunity that financial advisers can easily implement. Testimonials are not going anywhere, and will in fact only become more important as the industry continues to harvest cowboys.
The idea is simple: people want a personalised experience with financial advice that aligns with their specific needs or wants, which means they’re looking for someone who’s been there before them.
That’s where reviews come into play – because if your clients have already done it once before, you know what they expect from you this time around! It also makes sense to consider how quickly word-of-mouth travels nowadays.
So, by offering something tangible, like an actual review on your website or social media account, all while simultaneously building trust among potential new clients. You’ve got yourself a winning strategy right there!
Become part of the conversation
Being part of the conversation is an important element that you should consider as part of your content marketing strategy. It’s important to be involved in the social media conversation. You can do this by monitoring what people say about your brand or industry topics, and engaging with them where appropriate.
This can take many forms—from responding to client inquiries on Twitter or Facebook, to creating content that speaks directly to a key issue they’re having (or might have). It doesn’t matter if you’ve got 10 followers or 10 million; it’s still important that you respond when someone talks about your firm online.
Video for financial advisers
One way to build further trust with potential clients, in which we see fantastic results, is through video. However, we are often asked, Is it worthwhile to invest in video content for financial advisers?
Absolutely. We have the numbers to prove it:
- Video can increase website organic search traffic by 157%. A website with video is 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google.
- 59% of executives prefer to watch video rather than read text, and 72% of clients would prefer to learn more about a service through video.
- Remember that viewers retain 95% when they view your message in a video, and only 10% when they read it in text.
- Last but not least, it is predicted that online videos will account for more than 88% of all internet traffic by 2022.
We are moving quickly to a video-first future, and the financial world is following suit. Not only is video a great promotional tool, but video can be part of your overall content strategy. Some examples could include:
- Explainers
- Sharing news or business updates
- Q&A’s
- Behind the scenes
- Testimonials
- Meet the team
- Day in the life
Video can also be a great way to add personality and build credibility. You could consider doing meet the team videos instead of headshots.
Document your content marketing strategy
How can you determine which content assets are best, when they should be used, and what to do if they work? This is where an editorial calendar and documented content strategy come in handy.
Your content strategy should define your goals, audience(s), channels and metrics. The editorial calendar should also outline when and where content will be published.
There are many cost-effective project management tools, such as Monday.com and Trello, that allow you to interact and collaborate away from email chains and spreadsheets when it comes to social media content planning.
These platforms can be where all content is stored and viewable for approval and amendments.
The great thing about these platforms is that they notify in real time to enable a true method of collaborative content creation.
Over time, you’ll discover what topics are most popular with your clients and prospects by doing research and trial and error. You can then create content relevant to these topics.
Let’s take ESG investing as an example and look at how we can use a content strategy. First, create a content calendar. Consider these elements when you start with a month-long timeline.
Identify three key messages about ESG you want to convey to your target audience.
- You can choose specific dates for the distribution of your content
- List the distribution channels that you will use
- Use email marketing outreach to tie together your other digital efforts
- Track content interactions and monitor over time to discover trends and what your audience enjoys
This content strategy documentation provides transparency, clarity, and accountability for teams and stakeholders. It allows marketing teams to ask for further budgets and time on projects, meaning everyone understands, sees ROI potential and is aligned with the plan.
Initiate a content marketing strategy
A content marketing strategy should be an integral part of your financial marketing plan. It is a way to strategically build credibility and trust with your target audience.
If you produce regular engaging content that your audience finds value in, trust and credibility will grow over time. They will see you as a leader in the financial services industry and be more inclined to reach out.
Additionally, it helps enhance and add value to your existing client service proposition, increasing retention rates and decreasing the chance that clients will change financial advisory firms (perhaps to another who is communicating with them more regularly!)
Do you want more people to see your content? Then you need to consider SEO for financial advisers (search engine optimisation). Read our 30-page guide to marketing for financial advisers in 2022 to learn more.
